1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a video/audio device error monitoring system used to integrally monitor and control errors of video/audio devices in a broadcasting station or a video/audio media production studio where a number of such video/audio devices are connected for recording, reproducing, storing and compiling video/audio data.
2. Related Art
In a typical broadcasting station or in a production studio for preparing a program or other video/audio media, a number of (several or decades of) video/audio devices are used for recording, reproducing, storing and compiling video/audio information.
Video/audio information is recorded on recording media by each of individual video/audio recording devices, and these recording media are cumulatively stored in a video/audio storage device. Video/audio information is reproduced from individual recording media by multiple video/audio reproducing devices, and are compiled by an video/audio compiler. Certain production studios, for example, are equipped with a number of such systems to progress works in parallel.
Also in typical broadcasting stations that need to progress multiple jobs in parallel, namely, delivery of a program, recording, accumulation and compilation of video/audio information to prepare another program, many sets of video/audio devices are installed.
Such a system connecting a number of devices involves a high probability of error in one or more of the devices. In a broadcasting station, in particular, when any error occurs in a device concerned with actual transmission of programs, a quick remedy to the error is required. To enable quick remedies to errors, it is effective to record information on past errors as histories of respective devices to previously know from the information whichever errors are liable to occur in individual devices.
Conventionally, however, even in a system connecting a number of video/audio devices, no means was prepared to integrally grasp the status of actual use and operation of these devices connected to the system. For example, in a system with video/audio devices located in separate rooms, it was only possible to manage the devices for each room but impossible to centralize data on all devices in different rooms.
For example, in a conventional error monitoring system shown in FIG. 18, a monitor personnel is in charge of devices in each room. When any error occurs in a device of his room, he personally must step to the site of the device to find out the nature of the error. In the illustrated example, when an error occurs in a device in a studio 181, the man in charge of the studio 181 goes to the editing room 182 to give a notice, the man in charge of the editing-room 182 transfers the notice to the man in charge of the master control room, thereby to gather error information on devices in different rooms in the broadcasting station.
It was therefore difficult to obtain precise knowledge on errors of individual devices and to keep prior estimation of natures of errors that are liable to occur in respective devices.
Another problem with the conventional error monitoring system is that management of error histories of video/audio devices is simply the way that each man in charge describes such errors on a error history note as shown in FIG. 18. It was therefore difficult to manage information on individual devices in a system of a broadcasting station. Beside this, it was also difficult to keep prior knowledge on errors that are liable to occur in respective devices.
When an error occurs in a device, it sometimes accompanies the job of opening an operation manual of the device to know the precise nature of the error, which will inevitably causes a delay in actual remedy to the error. This is particularly so when a rare error occurs.
Recently, more and more digital devices have been provided also in the field of video/audio devices. Another problem with the conventional error monitoring system is that it is difficult to visually monitor and control the status of operations of devices in case of digital devices as compared with video/audio devices in form of an analog circuit.